


Bruised Feet, Tattered Wings

by myumyuu



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Fairy AU, Fantasy AU, M/M, Pirate AU, Ratings might go up, USUK - Freeform, alfred is a merman, arthur is a fairy slash pirate, mermaid au, that fucked up life lmao
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-19
Updated: 2016-07-19
Packaged: 2018-07-25 11:06:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7530229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myumyuu/pseuds/myumyuu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fairies were never supposed to even come close the ocean but Arthur choose to go against the odds. After the betrayal of his formal crew mates, he found himself with the unwanted company of a merman on a small island in the middle of nowhere. Now they're kinda stuck together. Why couldn't Alfred just listen to him, despite all the screaming and kicking, that fairies just aren't supposed to be swimming in the first place? Especially with a merman in heat.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bruised Feet, Tattered Wings

**Author's Note:**

> Heyllo; I've decided to re-post this fic as well as edit the plot majorly. I hope you all enjoy this story and please- please! Leave a review;;;; It would help a lot!
> 
> Anyway! This AU is about a fairy, Arthur, that became a pirate on the search for adventures. He was betrayed by his crew mates and forced to walk the plank but instead of drowning, he was saved by Alfred, a merman. Now they're kinda stuck together. If you have any question about this AU, feel free to ask! I'm more than happy to answer them!

News about human divers were enough to cause have everyone on high alert, folks were anxious and jittery, but the underwater city stood tall on the deep ocean beds, only to be found if you passed the deep-sea geysers and ventured through dark waters, which then you would find open ground full of life and music. Without gills and a tail, humans would run out of air or killed by the high pressure before even stepping foot through the gates. Above mermaid waters there are various little islands of sand and rocks.

Their Pearl castle, in name and appearance, was truly a magnificent sight. Rows of seashells decorated the walls, adding colours to the pure white structure that glistered under the sun, Its’ beauty even rival the Coral palace in the far eastern waters. In the recent years it's been open to public, easily becoming a popular tourist attraction. After the passing of his wife, their king had been kind about having unknown visitors in his home, for it were becoming too lonely to roam those empty halls on a daily basis. Of course, each group of visitors MUST be accompanied by either a knight or a guard.

Today seems to be an eventful day, gossips about the human sighting were flying but a certain merman was becoming the talk of the day with his eyes so blue and a powerful tail, golden hair tied into a small, low ponytail to keep it out of the way. A large group had gathered in front of the castle entrance to catch a glimpse of him, the new guard. His muscles weren't as heavy as the rumours said, but tanned and toned up nicely from training above sea level. Although, he could care less about what people think.

"One at a time! One. At. A. Time!" Alfred almost- almost - hissed, pushing back a group of mermaids. They were part of a tourist group from the north. Damn, he thought the women up there would be more… reserved and quite but oh, how wrong was he! They were just the same as the ones here but their pale skin really do made their eyes pop in all the right ways! They wore some sort of cape instead of shells, probably to keep themselves warm but here, they had it tied around their waist, having nothing to cover their upper bodies except for their head of hair(not that nudity is a very big thing down there). The city Alfred resides in lies in tropical land, and the summer season made it much too warm for fur pelts. Various sharp daggers could also be seen, as most from up north, even the females, were born hunters, so Alfred had heard. One of the ladies giggled but much to Alfred's relief, she pulled her girls back and got them back in line.

Although, they are more patient about having to line up than the local folks.

Mermaids! They seemed to be programmed with some flirtatious personality that no one could explain. But he supposed it was only the desire to ensure they have a strong mate when spawning season comes. Heck, even some of the males share the similar traits!

"Popular with the ladies, eh?" Alfred turned his head around to see a more welcomed face. The young merman grinned, running his fingers through his bangs with an embarrassed chuckle.

"Not really, they're just horny," he said, earning a few playful pouts and giggles, though one looked rather offended oops. "Is it my lunch break yet?”

If someone else was here it could only means one thing: shift change. Alfred didn't hesitate to lose all his gears and swam off when he received the answer, eager to get away from the crowded hot spot and to a more... quiet place. Alfred never said he was found of his job, but the promised pay was good and he would be privileged a room in the castle for him and his family, a pretty sweet deal, if you ask him! And who wouldn’t fancy a job to be close to their beloved King?

The blue eyed merman waved good bye to his friend and swam up towards the surface beach.

A strong, young guard like Alfred would easily have whoever he wanted to spend the two long weeks with. Or at least, that’s what everyone thought, anyway. His duty as guard made it near impossible to even have time for himself, let alone any time for a mate but who knows, maybe in another ten-something years he would get his senior privilege! He’s pretty sure his King would not let their population dies out over some stupid reason like standing at the castle gate all day keeping peace; a male is only potent until the age of thirty-five, after all, where else a female the age of thirty.

And Alfred’s only twenty-one.

Still a long way to go, buddy.

…

Hungry seagulls flocked around a ship, desperately trying their luck with lunch. Alfred watched with a hint of amusement. The merman lied comfortably on the shore of a little island, letting the soft waves lashes at his blue tail. The weather was warm, much to his liking.

On a regular basis, there would be at least one or two other merfolks lounging on the beach or rocks but this time of the year, many would be too busy tending to their mates for any silly self-indulging time. Moments like this Alfred pretend to be one of those rich land dwellers; having an entire beach all to yourself, that’s the life! Because unlike them, merfolks do not hog beaches all to themselves(not that they have any needs to!).

Alfred’s short break was unpleasantly disturbed by string of colourful language followed by a loud splash. The merman turned his eyes towards the direction of the ship just in time to see a man being pushed off the deck and immediately flails around for his dear life.

Alfred could make out the outline of a skull on the flag; a jolly roger. Ah! The man must be a captive on a pirate ship! It’s not unusual to see humans flung one of their own overboard to drown, such heartless creatures, they are! Alfred would never understand humans.

For a moment, their eyes met. Alfred couldn’t quite tell the colour but they were bright and filled with fear. The human gasped and continued his struggle, calling out to the departing ship to let him board. His attempts were not only futile but caused him a great deal of time and energy, too. The human coughed and climbed the invisible ladder, gradually loosing strength. Silly human, doesn’t he know how to float? Or swim? Seriously, there are many small patches of land around this area, at this rate the human will become fish food in the next 30 minute!

“Oh, Poseidon,” sighed the young merman. He rolled his eyes and being the skilled swimmer(with the need to brag) it took Alfred less than ten seconds to swim up to the blond human, his tail flickering back and forth in the waters whist he watches the man struggled. He looks… really in pain.

“H-h…e…”

Alfred laughed, shaking his head in amusement.

The human’s eyes are green… a lovely shade of green. Alfred swam up a little closer to get a better look. He grabbed hold of the human’s wrists to keep them from hitting him by accident, blue eyes boring into those green orbs that were wide with fear.

“Relax, relax,” he cooed, using the pad of his thumb to rub on the green-eyed man’s wrist. “Hey! I’m not gunna eat you!”

Alfred wasn’t sure if the human seemed to have gotten his message and calmed down or he just tired himself out. Either way his violet trashing turned into gentle kicking of his legs and harsh breathing. Alfred used the moment to take in his appearance, letting his blue eyes wandered those redden cheeks and pale neck. The human was wearing little clothing, only a shirt and what they called pants. He have pale skin, too. Quite unusual for someone that’s been out at sea. Perhaps the pirate had kept him captive below deck and got rid of him to lessen a mouth to feed. Well, either way, Alfred had never seen a human so pretty.

“What’s your name?” he narrowed his eyes, leaning in closer. The human flinched and tried to spat out some shits. Alfred snorted as he does not speak hacks and coughs. ‘This is useless,’ he thought inwardly, sighing. He’s pretty sure human also speak their modernized language until he spotted a pair of transparent wings behind the pirate's back.

 _Oh_.

Alfred shook his head, wrapped his arms around the other's smaller frame and brought them back to the little island he was resting on hoping he still have some time left on his break.

There’s no way he can bring his new friend back with him.

Fairies just don't do well underwater.

 

* * *

 

 

The first thing Arthur registered was that he ached all over and the beating sun blinding him. The grounds below him was soft, his clothes wet and clung uncomfortably to his skin. His body ached all over; wet sand found their ways between his toes and clanged onto him annoyingly. His wings, delicate and brittle, glimmered under the sunlight. Arthur could hear the gentle lapping of the waves. Strange, he was supposed to be dead the moment his crewmates toss him to Davy Jones’ but yet; here he is coughing up salt water and tears.

Arthur felt horrible, disgusting, and downright tired. The pirate managed to roll onto his side to avoid direct contact with sunlight, green eyes forced themselves to focus. By the looks and feel of it, he was on a beach of an small island. He remembered the last thing he saw before passing out; bright blue eyes, a youthful face with sharp teeth and pointed ears, while the imagine stayed fresh in the pirate’s mind, he wondered why he was saved instead of becoming the creature’s next meal.

“Awake?” A voice hummed. Glancing up, Arthur met was surprised to meet with the owner of that face. It was by no means a man but instead, a merman, He held himself tall, showing off his strong chest and tail. Arthur was instantly mesmerized by the glistering scales under the sunlight; he did not realize the other getting closer.

Arthur made an attempt to sit up, only to be shoved down roughly by a powerful tail. A grown emitted from his lips. He felt weak- his entire body aching far too much and far too tired to put up a fight. So instead, he buried half his face into the same and asks, “Why did you save me?” Arthur was trying the best he could to cover up any sign of fear.

Whilst his effort was admirable, Alfred’s senses were sharper.

“You looked like you needed help,” the merman shrugged, keeping his grip loosely around the pirate’s neck, lazily laying his tail across those weak knees, making escape impossible. “And you’re pretty… pretty weird. Your eyes remind me of the huge gem mermaids wore in their hair and you look too small and pale to be a pirate. How do you not burn under the sun?”

“Don’t be rude,” said Arthur, slightly taken aback. “I do just fine.”

“If you say so, pretty boy. Aren’t you going to thank me for saving you?”

“T-Thank you?! I… supposed you did; you could have just let me drown. Can you let me up?”

Alfred’s response was to shuffle aside, moving his tail off the fare folk’s legs. “You’re not really human, aren’t you?” His eyes landed curiously on the pair of transparent fairy wings, neatly folded behind Arthur’s back. Alfred had never met a fairy before! He had to resist the urge to touch them.

“No; the sea water melted away my disguise.”

Oh but they did more than just that. Fairies like him generally does not belong anywhere near the ocean instead, they hang around the lush green of the forest and small streams. Salt water melted away half of Arthur’s wings. Despite his effort to keep them hidden with his back, they fell limp on his sides, a tinging pain shot through his spin every time he tried to move them. Arthur chewed onto his lower lip, feeling extremely self-conscious about his condition.

“That sucks,” said the merman, “hey, you can stay here if you want!”

“P-Pardon?”

 "Yeah you heard me. Stay here, I'll take good care of you."

* * *

 

For weeks food was brought to the beach. Alfred kept his promise, knowing the pirate couldn’t swim or fly a very long distant- not with those ruined wings- and thus he does not fear the loss of his new play thing, even if he were to build a small boat Alfred’s powerful tail would catch up to him in the matter of hours. The merman would bring fish, seaweed and sometimes fruits. He showed him where to get fresh water on the little island.  Arthur’s a pretty gem he caught in the waves and he intends to keep him well fed and alive.

The blond fairy had proven to be quite the company.

Sometimes the two of them would chat on the beach or on a rock; Alfred laid his head leisurely in Arthur’s lap, the lower half of his body submerged underwater. His companion would then thread nimble fingers through his blond locks, getting out those pesky knots. Arthur would- reluctantly- let him explore his body with those webbed hands; the pirate had learnt that Alfred was very, very interested with his legs as he would spend hours stroking and toying with his toes. However, Alfred was never allowed to touch his wings.

Eventually Alfred noticed Arthur never gets too close to the water. He does not submerge his legs he does not do the leisure kicking of the feet. He only bath in fresh water and kept his legs folded on the rocks. Did his near drowning experience have something to do with it? The ocean’s lovely! Even though Alfred understands Arthur’s incapability to swim he couldn’t help but help strangely offended.

_Stupid two-legs._

“Arthur,” Alfred popped up from the waters, resting his head on folded arms. “Want to go for a swim?”

And Arthur would stare at him like he had grown another head. Alfred knew he couldn’t swim, knew that he absolutely refused to get near a body of salt water. With a firm “No,” he turned to leave, only to trip over his own two feet. A strong hand wrapped around his ankle pulled him towards the edge of the cove, more than anything the merman wanted to drag his human companion underwater with him. Alfred had felt a strange attraction towards the two legged creature. Perhaps it was the heat getting to him, Alfred found himself slipping off during work, often thinking about those big green eyes and finless body.

“Why not? I won’t let you drown.”

“No, Alfred. Please let go,” he frowned to show his displeasure.

But the merman didn’t listen. _Splash_! A painful wail pierced through the air when Arthur’s body submerged into salt water. Strong arms kept his lithe body trapped in place, unable to escape, the merman swam them further away from shore.

“Shhh, _sh_. I got you,” Alfred tried to calm him down by soothingly rubbing his waist, littering kisses over the creamy pale neck. However, the pirate does not calm, he continued to kick and scream until the pain was too much to bear. Beads of tears welled up around the corner of his eyes, his body fell limb in Alfred’s embrace. “That wasn’t too bad, right?”

“Take me to shore, please,” _sob_ , “I- I– I don’t belong here…”

Alfred did not listen.

The salt water stung the fae’s skin like a thousand needles.  He had no energy left to struggle. A few minutes passed before the merman finally acknowledged Arthur’s request.

Ever since the incident Arthur refused to talk to Alfred at all. While the merman did attempted to apologize, he was given the cold shoulder but it was one sunny afternoon when Arthur was basking by the beach, Alfred appeared shortly after sun high, panting and overwhelmed by his heat, he pounced on the young fae without prior warning; Arthur was never at all eager for his body to be explored by Alfred’s wandering hand. For God’s sake, the idea of being pushed around by a goddamned _fish_ had already bothered him more than enough in the first place. Arthur clicked his tongue in annoyance, sinking the heel of his boot into Alfred’s side and kicked the larger male off.

“Snap out of it, you buffoon!”

“You smell… good.” Alfred growled in response, burying his nose where the smell is strongest.

The usually friendly merman bared his teeth, digging his nails against the pirate’s arm. Arthur knew he wasn’t going to get out of this without at least one or two bite or scratch mark. _Bloody hell_ , Alfred’s nails were sharp! The merman does not look happy at all to be pushed away but Arthur, despite being dressed in practically rugs and sore all over, spent the next hour wresting the larger male on the beach

The pirate fought, huffing and growling. Arthur pushed and kicked with all his might, until he realized that they were too close to the edge. With all his remaining strength the fairy sent a strong kick to the merman’s abdomen, sending him skidding off the edge and _splosh_! Back into the ocean he goes.

“S-Stay away!”

Alfred did not resurface. Arthur felt worried, scared, but he knew that the merman would be fine. Besides, it was Alfred’s fault for jumping onto him like that! He hardly had any reason to be sorry about it. After all, they are in his territory after all. What is the worst that could happen to the other?

Without looking back, Arthur ran as fast as he could back to the safety of the jungle, slipping through vines and dodging braches. Before he knew it there were tears staining his cheeks. Skin burning and feet aching, wings twitching painfully to the gentle breeze; there’s nothing he want more than to be back to the comfort of his cabin. Back to the straw bed and silk sheets that provided him warmth on chilly nights but those days were long gone now.

Arthur found a cozy little spot underneath a willow tree and made a small bed out of leaves. It reminded him of home, where fare folks dwell in huts or caves lined with leaves and twigs. It was a simple life; too simple, he sort for adventure. Broken sobs slipped through pale lips.

For the first time in forever, Arthur wished to be home.


End file.
